- Bheki Cele has welcomed the arrest of three suspected underworld figures, saying it’s “only the beginning”.
- The three men appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court.
- Cele says the police are investigating claims of extortion, drug dealing, fraud, corruption and money laundering involving Cape Town’s underworld.
Police Minister General Bheki Cele has welcomed the arrest of three suspected underworld figures who are allegedly linked to an ongoing “extortion racket” involving businesses in Cape Town.
Mark Lifman, Jerome Booysen and William Steven appeared in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering.
It’s alleged they were involved in the murder of so-called Steroid King, Brian Wainstein, three years ago.
READ | Underworld ‘kingpins’ accused of international steroid smuggler’s murder granted R100 000 bail
“This is only the beginning of our efforts as the police to tighten the grip on these crimes committed by the underworld and run extortion rackets that undermine the state and threaten the livelihoods of local economies,” said Cele.
The three handed themselves over to their nearest police stations on Tuesday morning after the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Unit secured warrants for their arrest.
Cele said it was one of the phases of the ongoing investigation into extortion, drug dealing, fraud, corruption and money laundering activities involving Cape Town’s underworld.
On Tuesday, the court heard that Lifman paid Booysen who, in turn, paid Steven for the hit on the international steroid smuggler who was killed in his Constantia home in 2017.
They were granted bail of R100 000 each, with conditions which included that they report to their closest police stations every Monday between 08:00 to 18:00.
Their case was postponed to 9 February for further investigation.
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